Realm-Hopping Martial Master

Jiang Shu left the school.

He did so quietly, unnoticed.

But his exploits quickly spread from the senior class to the juniors and sophomores.

Some students, who had already thought about switching to become Martial Arts Students, felt even more determined.

In their minds, they pictured scene after scene.

Jiang Shu stood tall and proud.

Jiang Shu lifted his desk with ease.

Jiang Shu joked and laughed with the principal.

Jiang Shu was—

Jiang Shu was giving a massage.

"Ouch... ah... right there... hiss..."

Inside the bedroom.

Jiang Yongyi sat shirtless, gritting his teeth.

Jiang Shu used a masterful technique, massaging his father's whole back until the blood flowed smoothly and his skin turned red.

"Take a break, take a break. Little Shu, where did you learn these moves, huh? How are you so good at this?"

"Dad, I've been practicing Martial Arts for more than three months now. Martial Arts means you have to really understand your own body, so it's normal to know some acupoints. Your back is way too stiff, you really need more massages."

"Yeah, I'm used to it. Anyway, this old body of mine is yours to mess with. Little Shu, you tell me, with Martial Artists getting all these great benefits, do you think our Xia Country is going to send them to the battlefield or something?"

As he breathed out a deep breath now and then, Jiang Yongyi faced away from Jiang Shu and couldn't help but ask.

During the earlier massage, his son had been telling him all about what was talked about in today's seminar.

The ranks of the Martial Arts Realm.

The treatment Martial Artists got.

Xia Country's focus on Martial Arts, it completely shattered everything he thought he knew.

No doubt, if you just looked at the benefits, being a Martial Artist was even better than being a regular government official.

But who knew, while you enjoyed all those perks—

what did you have to give up?

*No such thing as a free lunch.*

Nearly fifty years old, he understood that all too well.

"Dad, I don't think you need to overthink it. In the age of firearms, even a Martial Artist with Strength Refinement, who's got over a thousand pounds of strength and throws a punch that cracks the air—how would that match up against a sniper rifle or a rocket launcher? If they really went to war, a trained soldier would definitely beat a bunch of scattered Martial Artists who only know how to fight one-on-one."

"Support funds for Martial Arts, just by the name, means you get the benefits even if you don't have to risk anything. And, Dad, don't look at that ten thousand yuan like it's a ton of money. Honestly, for a Martial Artist, that kind of money doesn't go far at all."

"A Martial Artist's expenses are at least ten times that of a regular person. Look at how many clothes and shoes I've changed lately, how much meat I've eaten. And I'm not even a real Martial Artist yet."

"Besides, even if it does end up like you're talking about, where Martial Artists go to the battlefield, it'd have to be some crazy situation. In that kind of crisis, being a Martial Artist would still mean you have a better shot at survival than ordinary people."

Jiang Shu explained as he massaged, thinking that just getting hired as a high school martial arts teacher and earning ten grand a month in Martial Arts support funds was just the most basic benefit.

If a Martial Artist only lived off that income, they'd just have it a little better than regular folks.

But if you wanted to truly improve in Martial Arts, it was far from enough.

If you listened to Zheng Yanbo talk about the resources, you'd get it right away.

Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicine.

Beast meat from other species.

Just from the sound of it, you could tell none of that came cheap.

If you were talented enough, and reached the Qi Blood Transport all around your body in college, you could still get several more years of subsidies from Xia Country, getting a quota of Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicine and beast meat, either at an extremely low price or even for free.

But once you left school and entered society?

Ten thousand yuan a month.

In the face of the cultivation resources you actually needed—

*a drop in the bucket.*

"That's true. And that's just if you actually become a Martial Artist. Plenty of people work their butts off for years and never make it. Don't even get to the minimum level, and they end up wasting so much for nothing."

"But don't you worry, Little Shu. If you want to take the Martial Arts path, your dad's got your back, one hundred percent. Doesn't matter if you don't become a Martial Artist, just getting fit is worth it. Don't wait until you're my age, hurting all over—that's the worst."

"Got enough money? Let me transfer you a few thousand. This is from my secret stash, so don't tell your mom."

As he spoke, Jiang Yongyi picked up his old phone, which he hadn't replaced in three or four years, and cheerfully sent Jiang Shu six thousand yuan.

"Thanks, Dad. Don't work yourself too hard, either. Your son probably has some talent in Martial Arts."

Bending down, Jiang Shu gently massaged his father's head.

Right now, he was only at the Qi Blood Transport stage.

If someday he could nourish inner strength and use it to massage his dad—

*maybe those hidden chronic problems in his body would slowly heal too.*

*Thinking about that, Jiang Shu's mind couldn't help but drift blank for a moment.*

And Jiang Yongyi, enjoying the massage with his eyes closed, muttered, "Feels so good. When you become a Martial Artist, I'm quitting my rideshare job, I'll just go fishing every day and make all those guys jealous!"

"And if your mom doesn't want to run the shop anymore, I'll take her traveling all over the country. Ever since we got married, we never really went anywhere. I'll secretly book the tickets first and give her a surprise. Your mom's never had a single day off since she opened the store, not even during New Year's. Really, if you and Xiaoyue both succeed, it'll finally be time for us to relax a little."

"But it's still early, Little Shu, just take your time. Your mom and dad are still young, we can work a few more years. Save some more money so you can get a bigger house."

"At the very least, we should save up a down payment."

...

After dinner,

he sat and chatted with his parents and little sister for a while, then after everything was tidied up,

Jiang Shu headed back to his room, locked the door, and chose to cross over.

Qu She Alley.

The Green Snake Gang was still searching, and at every alley entrance under the jurisdiction of Poison Tooth Hall, three or five gang members gathered, staring closely at every commoner or migrant passing by.

Anyone with short hair got grabbed and questioned right away.

Jiang Shu, wearing a wig that looked convincingly real, kept his expression calm as he walked straight toward the inner city.

Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School.

Today's atmosphere seemed a bit different from before.

The apprentices in the yard all stood to the sides, leaving the center of the yard open.

They whispered and gossiped in low voices.

"Brother Luo, what's going on?"

Jiang Shu walked up to a tan-skinned young man and asked quietly.

After close to a month training at the Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School, he certainly didn't just keep his head buried in training.

Luo Yongcheng was the first friend he made here.

At age twenty-two, he started Martial Arts late. Even though he trained extremely hard and had practiced for a year, he was only at Hungry Tiger Sitting Cave Stance, small success, and Qi Blood Transport.

"Jiang," Luo Yongcheng said, scooting over a bit to give him a spot, and responded quietly, "Makes sense, since you haven't been here long, you don't know. On the first day of every month, all the apprentices at our Martial Arts School line up so Old Qiu can draw lots and organize paired sparring."

"The senior apprentices who have achieved full-body Qi Blood Transport can get rewarded with Hungry Tiger secret medicine. If you really stand out in sparring and catch Old Qiu's eye, you can even become an official disciple right away."

"Those at Qi Blood Transport, as long as you win in the sparring, also get rewarded with Hungry Tiger secret medicine."

"Don't look down on that stuff. What we get to use every day is just the lowest-grade stuff, and it's mixed right into the meat soup. You know, before I picked up Martial Arts, I did ten years of medicine. I can tell that some of the ingredients in Hungry Tiger secret medicine are restricted drugs here in the county."

"With the help of secret medicine, your Qi and blood grow strong way faster, so you can become a Martial Artist as quickly as possible..."

Luo Yongcheng's voice grew softer and softer.

At that moment, Old Qiu got up and came out into the yard.

Two senior apprentices who had achieved full-body Qi Blood Transport went up on stage, saluting each other with fists.

Tiger Form Three Styles.

Pounce!

Lift!

Slice!

Their fists and feet moved like the wind, dust swirling everywhere.

Luo Yongcheng looked at the pairs on stage, his hand clenched tight, eyes full of envy!